Almost Home
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: The sequel to 'A Day In Manhattan'. Neal has to decide if he wants to return to Storybrooke and if he does, how does Emma deal with Neal being in her life again?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here is the first chapter to the sequel of 'A Day In Manhattan'! I hope you enjoy!

Emma didn't even need an alarm clock to wake her up that morning. The whole night she had been in and out of sleep, her mind racing with thoughts of the previous day. Conflicting thoughts of wanting to be angry at Neal, wanting to hate him but seeing the way he was with Henry gave her unwanted feelings that she thought had died a long time ago. For eleven years she was convinced he was a no good thief who didn't give a crap about anyone but himself. From where she stood he got her to steal his stolen watches and then he ran away with them, sending her to prison for what he did, his only consolation prize being the bug and the swan keychain and of course, unknowingly, Henry.

Learning he was Baelfire put a whole other spin on things. It didn't change the fact that he left her and at first it only made her angrier because her whole life had been fashioned around the curse, and Baelfire was just another part of that.

She kept thinking about it though, and how much Baelfire didn't actually want to meet his father again, how he wanted to escape all traces of magic and she was the product of the purest magic there was. She typically didn't believe in all of that stuff but maybe Neal was right, maybe it was destiny or fate or whatever that brought them together. It was Henry who brought her to Storybrooke to break the curse and if she and Neal had never met, had never created Henry, there would be no way for her to get to Storybrooke. Fate was cruel, she decided. To have her meet Neal, fall in love with him only to have him break her heart so she could fulfill her destiny as the savior. And perhaps, for that reason, it wasn't all Neal's fault.

That was where her conflict lied however, because she blamed him for eleven years and she could not let that go so easily.

She let out a heavy sigh and rolled over to look at the clock. It was a quarter to seven and she knew she had to wake Henry up to meet Neal at seven thirty. The boy was currently sound asleep beside her, curled up into his pillow with a serene little smile on his face.

Emma knew there was no going back at this point. Henry loved Neal with all his heart and there would be no use trying to separate them.

She rolled back over to face him, watched him sleep for a minute and then quietly reached over to brush the hair away from his forehead. Henry twitched in his sleep but didn't awaken, only snugged further into the pillow.

Emma smiled at him softly and then picked herself out of bed, deciding to let him sleep for a little bit longer.

She stretched out her tired muscles and tried to blink away the sleep from her eyes. She grabbed an outfit for the day and was about to head to the bathroom to take a shower when a low knock sounded at the door.

"You've got to be kidding." Emma muttered, groaning as she placed her clothes down on the bathroom counter and then moved toward the front door.

"Neal, seriously, it's not even-oh." She paused as she opened the door and standing on the other side was not Neal but his father. She shifted awkwardly, suddenly realizing that she was in her night clothes in front of Rumplestiltskin. "Gold, uh, what are you doing here?"

The older man didn't even seem to notice her state of dress or if he did, he certainly didn't care. He stood in his usual fashion, upright but leaning on his cane for support, his face stern but there was a little bit of vulnerability in his eyes.

"Good morning, Miss Swan." He greeted easily. "I came to ask a favor."

Emma raised her brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "I got your boy to talk to you, our deal is done."

"No, no." He shook his hand. "It's not that. It's," He sighed and paused for a moment. Emma stared at him incredulously, was the infamous deal maker actually hesitant to make a deal? "I overheard you talking last night with Baelfire and I know he's meeting you and Henry here for breakfast."

Emma leaned against the doorway and blinked at him. "Are you...asking for an invitation?"

Gold looked up at her and she can honestly say she never thought she'd see such a desperate, pleading look in his eyes. "I just want to get to know him again."

Emma frowned. "He doesn't want you there."

Gold visibly winced and shut his eyes for a moment. "I know, I know. But..."

She cut him off gently. "Look, if you want to gain your son's trust back you have to let him come to you. Barging in on his life when he doesn't want you is not going to help you, its just going to make it worse. He wants to spend time with Henry and if you show up down there it'll ruin that for him. He's angry, Gold. It's going to take some time before he learns to forgive."

Gold let out a sigh and looked down as he fidgeted with his cane.

"I know you want time with your son but Neal wants time with his and right now...your relationship with him can't interfere with his relationship with Henry."

He stood there quietly for a few seconds and then his brow furrowed as he looked back up at her curiously. "Do you love him, Miss Swan?"

Emma blinked in confusion. "Henry? Of course I-"

"Not Henry." Gold was quick to correct. "Baelfire." Emma's eyes widened and her breath caught in her chest. Gold raised his brow in question, his eyes imploring hers. "Do you love my son?"

Emma gripped onto the door in shock and suddenly found it very hard to breathe. If she didn't know any better she could very well assume that Gold was reading her mind or perhaps even worse, she was wearing her conflicted feelings on her sleeve. And if Gold could see them, maybe Neal could too. "I..." She squeaked. Could she lie to Gold's face? Was it even lying? She had no idea how she felt especially about Neal.

"Well," Gold continued at her silence, "You certainly do care about him a lot if you are protecting him from me."

The words hit her like a freight train and if she wasn't already holding onto the door she might have stumbled.

He let out a breath and shook his head slowly. "I should be angry that you are trying to keep him from me but you've taken care of him and you still are and for that I'm grateful and will honor your wishes. And please tell him I will honor his as well." He stared at her, waiting until she finally gave a little nod that she'd heard and understood what he said. Then he nodded and hobbled back to his room.

Emma watched him go, her eyes wide and then she quickly stepped back into the room, shutting the door. She covered her mouth with her hands and backed up against the door then closing her eyes, she slid down to the ground, bringing her knees up to her chest.

She let out a shuddering breath as she buried her head between her knees, thinking about all that Gold had said.

Was she protecting Neal? Yes she supposed she was but it wasn't because she loved him. She knew what it felt like to be in his position, to hate your parents for abandoning you. She empathized with Baelfire but she didn't love Neal. She couldn't love Neal.

Emma sat there, wrestling with herself for a few minutes and then eventually lifted her head and ran her fingers though her hair. This trip was becoming way too emotionally damaging for her liking.

She finally got herself up off the floor and dragged herself into the shower. She lost herself under the hot water for a lot longer than she expected and when she got out, realized she only had ten minutes to wake up Henry and get him downstairs to meet Neal.

She quickly got dressed and threw her wet hair up in a towel and then went to the bedroom. She leaned over the bed and gently shook Henry awake. "Henry, hey kid, you gotta get up."

Henry let out a sleepy moan and rolled onto his back, his eyes fluttering opened as he looked up at his mother. "What time is it?" He mumbled sleepily.

"It's seven twenty, you have to meet Neal in ten minutes."

Henry was instantly awake at the mention of his father and in the past few weeks Henry had been living with her, she swore she never saw him get out of bed so quickly.

He was speeding around the room, nearly tripping over his feet as he grabbed clothes from his suitcase. "Woah, kid! I said ten minutes, not two minutes! We're going downstairs not across the city."

Henry froze, a bunch of his clothes in his arms and he smiled sheepishly over at her. Emma chuckled and smiled fondly, walking over to him to help him sort out his clothes. "Here." She handed him a clean shirt and pants. "Go get dressed and don't kill yourself doing it."

Henry grinned and ran off to the bathroom. He returned a few minutes later all nice and dressed and cleaned up. "Do I look okay?" He asked.

Emma smiled and walked over to him. His constant attempt to impress his father was adorable. She reached over and brushed a few strands of his hair down. "You look great, kid."

Henry beamed happily and looked at the clock. "We still have four minutes. Can we go downstairs and wait for him there?"

"Of course." Emma answered, touching his cheek affectionately. "Just give me one more minute." She walked over to the mirror near the bed, grabbing her brush along the way. She ran the towel over her head once more to get any remaining droplets off and ran her brush through her hair and then quickly threw it up in a ponytail. She grabbed her boots and pulled them on before walking back over to an eager Henry. "Alright let's go." She slipped her arm around his shoulders, grabbed her bag on the way out and walked with Henry down to the lobby.

They both took a seat on one of the couches, Henry tapping his foot anxiously as he stared at the front door, watching everyone who passed.

It was only two minutes past seven thirty when the automatic doors hissed open and Neal walked in, instantly spotting the two waiting for him. Henry hopped off the couch and ran over to him with a grin.

"Hey Dad."

Neal still felt a thrill every time he heard Henry call him that and the odd expression on his face must have alerted Henry.

"You don't mind that I call you dad, right? I can call you Neal...or Baelfire..."

"No." Neal reacted quickly to his given name but then quickly cleared his throat and smiled. "No," He said again more softly, "Dad is fine."

Henry lit up and Neal grinned back. "So how are you this morning, Henry?"

"Good." Henry answered. "Hungry."

Neal chuckled. "Yeah, me too."

Emma stood near the couch, her eyes slightly wide as she watched Neal and Henry. Since the moment Neal entered the lobby, she felt her chest tighten. The conversation she had with his father just a half hour ago returning to the forefront of her mind. And not only that but Neal was dressed in a beautiful charcoal gray three piece suit, his hair neatly styled, and looking so much more professional than she'd ever seen him. Granted, she'd only seen him in the old clothes he'd stolen and what he was wearing the last few days which was more casual but he certainly did clean up nice.

She finally took a deep breath and casually strolled over to them, planting a small smile, friendly smile on her lips. "Good morning." She greeted.

Neal turned his attention to her and his face dropped slightly as he took her in.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes curiously as he stared at her.

He swallowed thickly and pointed to her head. "Your uh, your hair is up."

"Yeah..." She shook her head slowly and then she realized. All she needed was her glasses and she'd be his Emma. She almost never wore her hair down when she was with Neal. For Neal, seeing her with her hair up again must have brought back those memories.

She inhaled sharply and tried to shrug it off. "I don't like my hair down when its wet."

A small, sad smile crossed his lips. "Because it gets in your face and you don't like the feeling of wet hair." He said softly and her eyes widened. Those were the exact words she'd said to him one night, when they snuck into a motel and took a shower and he tried to convince her to leave her hair down.

She swallowed. "It's itchy." She whispered, echoing her words from long ago.

Neal smiled at her and Henry looked between his parents, observing the intense, nostalgic look they shared and a small, knowing smile tugged at his lips.

Emma took a breath and shook her head, breaking Neal's gaze. "Um, let's go eat." She motioned towards the dining area and started to walk in that direction.

Neal let out a soft sigh and looked down at Henry and the little boy shrugged. Neal smirked and wrapped his arm around Henry's shoulder and they followed Emma.

There were a few people sitting around at tables, mostly business men in the city for work and they grabbed a table close to the buffet table.

They all grabbed a plate and their food of choice and sat down at the small table.

"Got enough syrup there, kid?" Emma asked in amusement as Henry poured the syrup onto his pancakes.

"I like syrup." He shrugged innocently before placing the bottle back in the center of the table. Neal chuckled as he grabbed the bottle and dropped a little on top of his. "You sure do have a sweet tooth, don't you?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically, stuffing a piece of pancake in his mouth. Neal laughed and took a bite of his own while Emma shook her head.

Seeing Henry was fully engrossed in his meal and too occupied to talk to Neal, Emma summoned up her courage and decided to make conversation.

"So, where do you work?" She asked Neal.

Neal swallowed what was in his mouth and placed down his fork to talk to her. "I work at a bank."

Her brow rose and she smirked. "You? Work with money?"

He chuckled softly, looking down for a moment. "I've cleaned up my act, Emma. I'm not that guy anymore. I haven't been since..." He trailed off, giving her a pointed look and her face fell, knowing exactly when.

She nodded softly and pushed her fork at her eggs. "So they just let you in?"

"I had to work my way up to my position." He explained. "But I've been there for a couple years and they seem to like me." He smirked.

Emma rolled her eyes slightly and brought her fork up to her mouth to take a bite. "Well," she said after she swallowed, "I'm happy for you, really."

"Thank you." He smiled softly and she nodded curtly before returning to her breakfast.

Neal watched them both quietly as they ate their meals. Just as he had told Henry he had done a lot of thinking of whether he wanted to move to Storybrooke. He had created a life for himself in Manhattan, though not much of one. His job at the bank was the first steady one he had in pretty much ever but that was the only thing holding him to Manhattan. He had made a couple friends but none that would truly miss him if he moved. And if he did he could possibly have this everyday, having breakfast with Henry and Emma, laughing as the kid drowned himself in syrup. He missed eleven years, how could he just let it go before he really had the chance to enjoy it?

He could deal with his father being around. Now that he had found him again whether he stayed in Manhattan, moved to Maine or moved to Africa, his father knew he was out there and attempt to contact him no matter what. Was costing a relationship with his son really worth it just so he didn't have to see his father every day? One came with the other and he had to accept both or give up both. And being around his father was a bit more of an attractive option than leaving Henry.

Henry finished his plate and hopped off the chair to get some more and Emma called after him, warning him not to get too much. Neal smiled to himself as he watched Henry run off and Emma smirk to herself. He could have had this...a life with her, a life with Henry, all of them together. But he gave it up...well, he could not make that mistake again.

Rumplestiltskin or no, Neal had to be with his son. He would not miss this chance to be in his life. Neal was going to Storybrooke.

He smiled as Henry came to sit back down, a few eggs and two pieces of bacon and a few slices of oranges on his plate.

"You've got some appetite there, kid." Neal remarked and Henry grinned as he grabbed a piece of bacon.

"Yeah." Emma muttered, shaking her head. "And he's going to have an upset stomach later and be complaining all day."

"Am not!" Henry insisted as he took a bite.

Neal smirked and leaned over to Henry. "Why don't you give your mom a break huh? I think you know she knows whats best." He raised his brow pointedly and Henry bit his lips as he looked down at the plate full of food. The little boy sighed and grabbed one orange slice off the plate before pushing it to the center of the table and putting the orange in his mouth.

"Good boy." Neal smiled at him, patting his arm before sitting back up. He looked over to see Emma staring at him in slight awe and he smiled in confusion.

"What?"

She let out a breath as she shook her head. "I can never get him to do that."

Neal chuckled softly as he looked over to Henry who was sucking the last bit of juice out of his orange, then caught his parents staring at him and took it out of his mouth and grinned.

Yes, Neal thought, there was no way he was giving this up.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/n: Hello everyone! Thank you all for your reviews! There's a little bit of Swan Thief in here so I hope you enjoy that!**_

* * *

Neal spent the day arranging his decision to leave Manhattan. Speaking with his boss and explaining the situation as best as possible and even on his break going to speak with his landlord. He agreed to pay this month and next months rent in compensation for giving such short notice, even though it ate up a good part of his savings. That was what his savings was for, he never was sure what he was going to use it for but moving to a cursed town to be with his new found family was a good use for it. Emma was right he did know how to make people love him, it was how he became so good a thief in the past. Now he just used that charisma to get on people's good side, especially that of his boss who was a little surprised at Neal's sudden decision to leave but let him go easily.

It was weird for Neal to leave after he had worked so hard to get there but his future relationship with Henry was more important than any job. He had to prove that just because his life had changed didn't mean he could abandon his family.

And Emma...she had said otherwise but he knew there was more to the reason that she wore that keychain. There was more to the way she looked at him over the last several days. And if he was lucky and really tried to prove that he loved her and that he had always loved her and would never leave again, maybe he could win back her heart.

As he left work for the last time that evening, it really hit him. He was actually going to do this. His life as Neal Cassidy and his past as Baelfire were merging into one and there was no going back now.

His heart raced and he felt a constant thrill running through his veins of excitement and anxiety and fear and love. Back in that town were fairytale characters, people from his homeland but who lived hundreds of years after he was born. He had ran for so long to get away from all of that, not just his father but magic in general.

Magic in this land was a trick, only an illusion created by masters of the craft who practiced over and over again. He remembered the first time he saw a magic show. He was still new to this world, still fourteen and forced to go to school. The show was mainly for the younger kids but young Bae had heard the word magic and froze to his seat, his eyes glued to what played out in front of him. But as he watched he started to realize that the magic was different and not at all like his father had used. The magician made coins and other little objects disappear and then reappear and even made his table levitate off the ground which awed the audience but Bae had known better. After the show, he stayed behind and asked the magician about his magic and it only took a little bit of pleading with his sad, big, brown eyes before the magician revealed his tricks, his slight of hand, his invisible wire and other distractive illusions.

"_So you can't do _real _ magic?" _Bae had asked.

"_Oh son," _the magician had replied, _"there is no such thing." _

It was then truly that Bae had known the blue fairy had sent him to the right world after all. And that only made him more upset that his father had not chosen to come with him.

When he eventually left the foster system with nothing to his name, Neal Cassidy was a name social services had provided for him since he couldn't dare tell them his real name, he remembered that magician and his tricks. His thieving only started as something to keep him alive, stealing just little things like cans of soup or candy bars. Then it slowly became a way of life and he realized he was good at it.

After a while his conscience began to catch up with him and he tried to work in menial jobs leading up to the event that changed everything: stealing those watches. It was going to be his last big steal. Steal the watches and take the money and run, start a new life. But then he saw the wanted posters and hid the watches and stole a car to hide away in until everything settled down. He only had the car for about a week or so before a certain blonde broke into it and his life was changed forever.

He knew it was only a matter of time before the past caught up with him and eleven years ago was the start of it all. Still, even though he dreaded it and knowing Storybrooke had magic literally made him sick, he knew returning to Storybrooke with Emma and Henry was the right thing to do.

He sat on the subway, his hands in his pockets and his fingers playing with the swan keychain he had put there after Emma gave it back. His thumb caressed over the image of the swan over and over again as he just waited for his stop.

He was going to tell Henry and Emma earlier about his decision but he wanted to finish everything up before he did, make it more official so he couldn't change his mind, not that he had plans to though of course. It was all settled now though and he was on his way to their hotel to give them the news. He knew Henry would be absolutely thrilled but Emma's reaction was a little unpredictable. She wanted him to be there for Henry but having him once again in her daily life was going to be another story.

And then there was the most terrifying reaction of all...that of his father. There would be no telling what he would think about Neal returning to Storybrooke with them especially after rejecting him. It was probably all that he wanted, why he came to Manhattan in the first place, to bring him home to Storybrooke. Neal knew it wasn't going to be an easy task trying to explain that he was going to Storybrooke for Emma and Henry and Emma and Henry alone. He'd have to cross that bridge when he came to it and he had an inkling he'd be crossing a lot of bridges in the near future.

The stop to Emma and Henry's hotel was only one stop after his usual one. He quickly got off, maneuvering through all the people with ease, climbing the stairs until he reached the city streets.

The hotel was only a few blocks east of the subway station and he got there within a few minutes. The staff working in the lobby must have recognized him from when he was there that morning for they smiled and waved and let him pass through without question.

Neal took the elevator up to the second floor and stopped in front of the door he remembered from last night. He let out a breath as he stared at the numbers on the door, preparing himself for what would change his life once again.

He nodded to himself and then knocked on the door, shifting the satchel on his shoulder which was suddenly an uncomfortable weight.

He heard shuffling from inside and Emma's voice say something to Henry and then she opened the door. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his chest at the sight of her. She was wearing the same outfit she had been this morning but her hair was now down and falling in beautiful waves over her shoulders. He had only ever seen her hair straight or up but he decided he liked this way better than all the rest.

"Neal." She greeted in surprise and he quickly shook his head to compose himself.

"Hey, Emma." He greeted back with a smile and heard the scraping of a chair from inside before a smaller head appeared beside Emma.

"Dad!" Henry greeted in his usual joyful fashion and Neal grinned down at his son. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah," Emma voiced, crossing her arms lightly over her chest, "What are you doing here?"

"Well," Neal let out a soft sigh, "I actually came to talk to Henry."

A look of surprise and concern crossed Emma's face at Neal's serious tone and she visibly swallowed, inching closer to Henry. "About what?" She asked tensely.

Neal smiled at her softly, reassuringly. "About something he and I talked about yesterday."

Henry cocked his head, furrowing his brow in confusion, trying to remember all he had talked about with his father.

"And what is that?" Emma asked, obviously not taking any of Neal's cryptic answers.

"Can I come in?" Neal asked. "It actually does concern both of you and I'd prefer not to discuss it in public."

"Fine." Emma sighed and moved aside, allowing Neal to enter.

Neal took off his satchel and his overcoat, hanging them on the coat rack near by and then rubbed his hands together nervously as he turned to Emma and Henry.

Emma eyed him suspiciously still standing close to Henry as if to protect him from anything Neal might say.

"Alright. I've done a lot of thinking about this, weighing everything in my head and I've come to a conclusion." He looked down at Henry who seemed to know exactly where he was going with this and stared back at him with wide and hopeful eyes. Neal gave him a warm smile and a curt nod before continuing. "Yesterday, Henry asked me if I could come back to Storybrooke with you and I've decided..."

"You're coming?" Henry cut him off eagerly, a slow grin spreading across his face.

Neal's own smile widened at the sight and he nodded. "I'm coming."

"Yes!" Henry cheered and broke free of his mother's grasp, who was now staring at the both of them wide-eyed, and ran over to Neal, throwing his arms around his waist.

Neal chuckled as the eleven year old slammed into him and he quickly responded in kind, wrapping his arms around his boy to hold him.

Emma watched the two of them slack-jawed, floored by Neal's sudden announcement. She always considered that to be a possibility but she imagined a lot of arguing between them. "Wait...you're coming to Storybrooke? As in moving there?"

Neal looked up at her with a smile. "That's the plan." At her continued shocked expression he explained further. "You told me not to hurt him, Emma. Leaving him would hurt him and leaving him would hurt me." He looked down at Henry as Henry grinned up at him. "I want to know my son." He glanced back up at Emma. "And you two being in Maine and me being in Manhattan is not going to allow that."

Emma blinked and shook her head slowly. "You just met him two days ago...you're willing to just uproot your life for him?" She asked ignoring the fact that she had done the same thing when Henry found her.

"Yes." Neal answered certainly and gripped Henry tighter. "That's what parents are supposed to do. They do what is best and go where they need to go for their children." A stern, determined look crossed his features. "I am not going to be my father."

Emma's face softened at the mention of his father and she nodded in understanding. Neal let out a soft sigh and started to gently run his fingers over Henry's head. "Besides, now that he's here I couldn't picture my life without him. Leaving Manhattan is not really too big of a sacrifice."

Emma looked down, closing her eyes for a moment. Over the last few days she had watched Neal interact with Henry and saw how good they were with each other and how much Henry adored him. And there was always that small doubt that Neal would just take off and leave them and more importantly leave Henry.

Listening to all Neal had just said tugged at her heart strings and she could feel the beginnings of a prickling at her eyes. With all the doubt she had been suffering over the last few days, Neal had wiped it all away and there was no doubt at all that Neal loved Henry and would do anything for him.

Neal was willing to go back to Storybrooke with his father just so he could be with Henry. Every time she saw him, Neal was slowly proving himself to the be the opposite of the man she thought he was for eleven years.

She inhaled and exhaled deeply to compose herself and then lifted her head, trying desperately to blink away the tears. She let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips and she nodded at him and he smiled back.

"Um..." Emma rubbed the back of her neck. "I was just about to order room service for dinner...you can stay if you want."

"Can you?" Henry asked from his place now at his side.

"I would love to stay." Neal smiled at her as he rubbed Henry's back affectionately.

So Emma ordered each of their chosen meals and they sat around the little table in the kitchen, eating and smiling and laughing. Neal asked about Storybrooke and what it was like and Henry had lots of stories to tell. Every thing from before Emma came into his life to before the curse broke and even after the curse broke.

He told him all about the horse that Grandpa Charming had given him and how he wasn't allowed to ride him yet and he wasn't even sure how a horse could tell him anything. That got a genuine laugh out of both Emma and Neal and for that tiny little meal it was like they were a normal family.

Sometime after they had all finished eating and continued just to sit around the table and talk, Henry scurried off to use the bathroom leaving Emma and Neal alone.

They glanced over at each other once Henry was gone and there was a moment of awkward silence before Emma let out a soft laugh and looked down, shaking her head slowly.

"What?" Neal asked with a smirk.

"Nothing." She muttered and then licked her lips before looking back up at him. "Just...thank you."

"For what?" He turned his head.

"For doing this for him. I hate myself for lying to him especially because he loves you so much and you..." She sighed as she rested her arm on the table. "I never thought you'd be so good to him...so good for him."

He glanced down at her hand resting innocently in the center of the table and making a bold move, he reached out and slipped his hand into hers. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him but she didn't move to pull away. He gave her hand a small squeeze and leaned over the table, meeting her eyes seriously.

"He already means the world to me and I know my promises probably don't mean much to you anymore, but I'm never going to hurt him like my father hurt me. I left you once, Emma. I'm never going to do that again."

Emma swallowed thickly, her wide eyes focused on his, that uncomfortable feeling once again rising into her chest. She bit down on her lip silently as she held onto his hand for a good few more seconds and then slowly pulled away and wrapped her hand around her glass of wine.

She cleared her throat before taking a sip and then decided to change the subject to something a little less focused on the subject of 'them'. "We need to tell Gold." His brow furrowed slightly and she elaborated. "That you're going back to Storybrooke. He'll need to buy another ticket home."

Neal scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "That man is not paying for me."

"Neal-"

"Do you know how he got all that money, Emma? We were poor back in our land, we could barely afford to live in our home. Magic changed all of that...he's not rich because he worked for it...he's rich because he took it. Probably from families that sure as hell needed it more than he did."

"He makes gold." Emma said although she wasn't exactly sure why she was defending him.

"Through his magic." Neal stressed. "And he uses it as a bargaining chip in his deals. No." He shook his head. "I've lived this far in my life without his help and I'm not going to start now."

"Alright." Emma conceded, knowing Neal would not be changing his mind any time soon and arguing further would be futile. "But you still do need to tell him."

Neal sighed heavily and ran his hand though his hair. "Yeah." He muttered.

Emma bit her lip softly and raised her brow with a shrug. "I could go with you."

He lowered his hand to the table and turned his head in surprise. "You'd do that for me?"

A soft smile spread across her face as she confessed quietly. "I don't hate you, you know."

He sat up in surprise and a small smile tugged at his lips. "I didn't know that actually."

Emma looked down and scratched her nails lightly against the table. "I'm angry and hurt and trying to understand why you left but um..." She softly shook her head. "I don't hate you." She scoffed lightly as she looked over at him. "I don't think I ever could."

He was getting a lot of mixed signals over the last few days from Emma. Sometimes she'd look at him and it was as if they were back in Portland but other times she'd look at him and he was almost convinced she was planning his murder. To know Emma didn't actually hate him brought a load off his shoulders. He knew he had a lot of work to do to get her to the point where they might be able to start over again but this was a sure start.

He nodded quietly with a warm and gentle smile and she returned it. They only broke their stare when Henry came strolling back into the room and plopped himself back down at his seat.

After that they all helped clean up the table, throwing away their garbage and leaving their plates in the designated area for the staff to later pick up.

Neal stood by the door, staring at the painted wood in silence. It'd be the third time in three days he'd be facing his father and after the last night he worried it might not be too pretty. He didn't get a chance to see his father's reaction after his threat because he was too angry to stick around. He didn't actually feel like talking to him again so soon either, he didn't know what he might do around him but with Emma there he figured it would help.

"What's wrong with Neal?" He heard Henry ask in a not so subtle whisper as he and Emma stood just several feet away.

"He's nervous." Emma whispered back. "He has to tell Mr. Gold he wants to go to Storybrooke too."

"Oh." Henry said in understanding and within a few seconds he was at Neal's side and grabbing his hand. Neal looked down at him in surprise and Henry smiled up at him. "It's going to be alright." He said reassuringly and somehow, coming from his son's mouth, he almost believed it.

"Thanks, kid." He gave Henry's hand a small squeeze.

Emma smiled softly and touched Henry's shoulder as she walked over before looking up at Neal. "Ready?"

He sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Emma's face softened. "He's not going to bite your head off."

"No." Neal muttered. "But I might bite his."

Emma pressed her lips together. Even when she was together with Neal she never knew he was so damaged by his father. They had shared stories about being abandoned, her on the side of the highway and he when he was fourteen but he never truly let on how angry and how hurt he actually was.

"Let's just go." Neal sighed again and reached for the door. As he walked out the door and headed a few feet over to his father's door he saw not only Emma but Henry following him out as well. He was half tempted to ask Henry to wait in the room so he didn't see anything that might be just about go down but having his son there added extra moral support and lord knows he needed that.

To his completely astonishment as Emma came up beside him, she momentarily slipped her hand into his and gave it a reassuring squeeze before releasing it again. To get that little encouragement from Emma of all people gave him the courage he needed and he knocked on the door.

There were a few beats of silence and Neal thought his heart would beat right out of his chest. Then he heard the sound of shuffling and the click of the cane hitting the floor.

He let out a breath as the door swung open and it was _almost_ amusing to see the look of shock on his face. "Bae?"

Neal cleared his throat softly and nodded quietly. Gold looked beside him to see Emma and Henry standing there as well and he furrowed his brow as he looked back at his son. "What are you all doing here?"

Emma looked up at Neal and then nudged him with her elbow at his silence. He shot a brief look down at her and then cleared his throat again before blurting it out. "I'm going to Storybrooke."

Gold's eyes widened slightly and his eyes immediately softened. "You are?" His voice was quiet and soft and for a brief, tiny moment Neal could see his papa shining through.

"Yes." Neal confirmed. "I'm going for Henry and Emma." He felt Emma stiffen beside him and look up at him but he kept his gaze steady on his father.

"Ah." Gold's face fell but only for a second before it fell into a neutral expression. The man had learned long ago to control his emotions in front of others and after getting over the emotional shock at finally being reunited with his son, he was quickly falling into that state once more.

"And what we talked about last night." Neal continued. "I still mean it."

Beside him Emma's brow twitched, obviously not aware that Neal had even spoken to his father the night before.

"Yes, yes. Of course." Gold nodded and his eyes softened once more. "Don't worry, Bae."

Neal clenched his jaw. "I do wish you'd stop calling me that."

Gold frowned. "It's your name."

"Not anymore." Neal replied.

Gold pressed his lips together and let out a breath. "You'll always be my Baelfire."

Neal rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Whatever. Just...tell me when we're leaving so I can buy a ticket."

Gold shook his head. "You don't have to-"

"Yes." Neal sternly cut him off. "Yes I do."

Gold let out a soft sigh and bowed his head for a moment before nodding. "Very well. We can leave whenever you'd like. My sole purpose in coming here was to find you and now that I have we can return home."

"Great." Neal muttered. "Wednesday sound good?"

Gold nodded. "That sounds perfect."

"Emma?" Neal finally turned to look at her. "Is wednesday okay with you?"

"Fine." She answered. "We have no reason to stay here any longer."

"Alright then." Neal nodded. "Wednesday it is." He looked back at Gold for a moment, let out a heavy breath and then turned to head back to Emma and Henry's room.

Emma watched Neal leave and then looked over at Gold to find him also watching him walk away, a desperate longing in his eyes. Then he felt Emma's eyes on him and turned his head to look at her and she sent him a slightly apologetic look and then turned to follow Neal while holding onto Henry.

They had left the door slightly open so Emma found Neal already in the hotel room, standing in the middle of the floor with his arms lightly crossed.

She let out a soft sigh and as soon as Henry was in the room closed the door behind them and then walked over to Neal. "See?" She stopped in front of him. "That wasn't so bad."

Neal sighed heavily and released his arms and she gave him a small, sad smile.

"He is trying, Neal."

"Yeah well..." He muttered quietly. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Emma let out a resigned sigh. Neal was just as stubborn as his father was and there would be no persuading him. And staying in this hotel room where she could almost feel the tension radiating off of him would not do.

"Hey kid!" She called over to Henry who was settling himself down on the couch about to watch some TV.

"Yeah?" He called back.

"What do you say we all go out for ice cream?"

"Cool!" Henry instantly hopped off the couch and ran to get his coat. Emma smiled as she watched him go and looked back to Neal who looked like he was starting to relax.

"I hope you know a place."

A small smile crossed his lips. "Emma...you should know I can never say no to ice cream. Of course I know a place."

"I'm ready!" Henry came running back out and stood between them with a grin.

Neal chuckled as he slipped his arm around Henry's shoulder. "You sure do look ready." He grabbed his own coat off the hook and then handed Emma hers.

They briefly smiled at each other before Neal turned his attention back to Henry as they walked out the door. "So..what do you like chocolate or vanilla?"

"Chocolate." Henry answered surely.

"Oh yes." Neal chuckled as they headed down the hall, pulling Henry against his side. "You are definitely my son."


End file.
